Wandering Warrior

In 1983, at the age of 19, Maasai warrior Mpeti Ole Surum left his homeland
in Southern Kenya. He left his cattle, sheep and goats. He moved from the
community where he lived among other warriors to attend school and learn the
English language; an opportunity unknown to others in his village.

Mpeti had met American tourists who were on a safari in Kenya. Their
talk of the "outside world" interested him; they encouraged Mpeti to think
about education. But his father beat and put a curse on him at the mention
of school. Only after Mpeti persuaded the chief of his village to speak on
his behalf, did his father concede. Mpeti entered the first grade at 19,
changed his name to "Tom" and graduated three years later with an eight
grade education, able to read and write in English.

The Maasai people possess great pride and self-respect. Their life
within a rigid social structure maintains the harmony that has sustained
them for thousands of years in the great Rift Valley of Kenya. According to
Maasai tradition, the warrior earns privileges by performing special duties.
Tom underwent a series of rituals during his development as a warrior,
including circumcision at age 15. The most honorable achievement for a
warrior is the slaying of a lion. Tom killed two.

Tom took a job at Keekorok Lodge, a resort owned by the United Touring
Company (UTC), Kenya's largest tourist agency located in the Maasai Mara
Game Reserve. He worked as a grounds keeper, room steward, a salesman and a
manager in the gift shop. But he made an impression on the guests when he
began speaking about Maasai culture. In hopes of attracting others to
Kenya, UTC sent Tom to entertain in London, England. Within months the nomadic
warrior had become a sought after lecturer, entertainer and talk show guest.